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A major £3.1 billion upgrade of four Tube lines, including new, air-conditioned trains, was announced today.

But London Underground (LU) passengers, who have endured hours of travel misery recently, will have to wait until 2013 before all of the new trains are in service.

The lines which will be upgraded are the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City – routes that are used by more than one million people each day.

The first of the new trains, which will be faster and longer, will enter service on the Metropolitan line in 2009.

Circle and Hammersmith & City line passengers will get new trains in 2012, with the District the last line to have the new trains – in 2013.

The lines will also have new signalling and renewed track. In addition, LU is looking at increasing the power supply on these lines to the same level as that used on the main line rail network.

This would increase energy efficiencies and reduce heat levels.

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Metronet, the heavily-criticised private Tube infrastructure company which is carrying out the upgrades, said the plans would deliver:

:: 25% increased capacity; :: 15% reduction in journey time; :: 21% more trains per hour on the busiest sections of the upgraded lines; :: An extra, seventh, carriage for all Circle and Hammersmith & City line trains; :: Enhanced comfort with wider walkways and bigger seats.

Mr Hendy said: “This is the biggest single package of improvements for these lines since they opened in 1863, running over the same route from Paddington to Farringdon they do today.”

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: “The upgrade of these lines is the next stage of Transport for London’s investment in the renewal and improvement of LU.

“This upgrade will be felt by passengers every day, who will benefit from air-conditioning and extra space on the trains.

“It will also deliver major energy efficiencies which will reduce energy costs and make a positive contribution towards reducing London’s CO2 use and tackling climate change.”

Mark Loader, vice president in charge of Metronet’s upgrade programme, said: “This new and enlarged fleet of 190 air-conditioned trains will be bigger, faster, more reliable and run more frequently, carrying more people than ever before.

“This is the first time these lines will have had a complete fleet replacement, allowing us to deliver major enhancements that will shape passengers’ journeys for decades to come.”